Anticounterfeiting

California’s State Board of Pharmacy (CA BoP) met this week to begin preparing for implementation of the state’s electronic pedigree requirements. CA BoP hosted Connie T. Jung, FDA’s acting associate director for policy and communications in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, who explained FDA's goals for a track and trace system. While CA BoP nor FDA did not issue any new policies or make any new decisions, the meeting revealed how closely these two are working together.

This past week FDA participated in Operation Pangea IV, a coordinated international program to root out online sales of counterfeit and illegal medical products. The operation was this year's International Internet Week of Action (IIWA), which is coordinated by INTERPOL, the World Customs Organization, the Permanent Forum of International Pharmaceutical Crime, the Heads of Medicines Agencies Working Group of Enforcement Officers, and national health and law enforcement agencies from 81 participating countries.

By Marie Redding

Different suppliers are skilled in different areas, and pharma companies may sometimes benefit from their past experiences, often in other industries. One important part of an anti-counterfeit solution is choosing the right mix of covert and overt technologies, combined with the latest digital printing technologies.

Richard Burhouse, business development manager for Payne Security (www.payne-security.com), reports that “secure packaging is an important factor in combatting fake products. But in addition to manufacturing fake drugs, counterfeiters are seeking to infiltrate the legitimate supply chain. They are attempting to steal authentic shipments and redirect them to other markets, reselling them for their own profit.”

By Marie Redding
Freelance Writer

It’s increasingly difficult—even for the experts—to tell the difference between a counterfeit drug and the real thing. Consumers feel they have no sure way of knowing if they’re getting duped. They may even ingest a harmful ingredient a counterfeiter has used to make a fake pill—like highway paint, floor wax, and boric acid—according to a CBS news report.

TÜV Rheinland has appointed Robert Driggers as Business Development Manager for the newly formed North American Brand Risk Group. Driggers will manage TÜV Rheinland’s proprietary Product Authentication and Control System (PACS) for North American customers.

Now in our archives is our exclusive virtual conference event that examines one of the key issues facing the Pharma and BioPharma supply chain, counterfeit drugs. Titled ‘Pharmaceutical Track & Trace and Authentication: The Fight against Fake Drugs’, the event is presented by UBM brands Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News, Tracking & Tracing Pharmaceutical Products, InnoPack, and Pharmapack in association with CPhI Conferences. The online format features two supplier webinars, two “exhibition halls” and a lineup of featured speakers.

The Directive includes use of safety features to verify the authenticity of medicines and to identify individual packs. It also calls for some level of tamper evidence.

A joint survey by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) and Pfizer revealed that pharmacists are concerned over the global problem of counterfeit medicines. The survey, conducted by APCO Insight, was reported at the FIP Congress, Lisbon, Portugal. 

Consequently, Ian Lancaster, general secretary of the International Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA), believes that the pharmaceutical industry can do more to combat counterfeit pharmaceuticals.

On Feb 15-16, FDA held a public workshop, “Determination of System Attributes for the Tracking and Tracing of Prescription Drugs,” which was attended by manufacturers, distributors, pharmacy representatives, government groups, and suppliers of software and technology.